Basketball player Akil Mitchell’s eye POPS out of his socket during national league game for New Zealand Breakers but he says he is ‘seeing fine’

THIS is the shocking moment a basketball player’s EYE popped out of his socket during a game.

Akil Mitchell was playing for his club New Zealand Breakers against the Cairns Taipans in the National Basketball League when his court-time was ended in the most horrific fashion.

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As he went up to challenge for the ball, Taipans’ Nnanna Egwu accidentally caught Mitchell in the eye.

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But rather than just your usual poke to the eye resulting in pain and blurred vision, Mitchell’s eyeball actually fell out of his head.

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Players from both sides rushed around Mitchell as he lay prone on the floor. TV footage captured the eyeball hanging out, but producers were careful not to show any further replays.

The game was halted for 15 minutes, and Mitchell eventually walked off court assisted by his team’s coaching staff with a towel draped over his head.

Incredibly, it is believed that Mitchell will not have any serious lasting damage to the eye.

Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Breakers general manager Dillon Boucher said: “Akil is sitting up and resting, and has vision to his injured eye.

“While there is some damage, the early reports are very positive that the injury is not as serious as first feared.”

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The players and coaches were prepared to suspend the game, but Mitchell even managed to get a message out to them to continue as he prepared to make his way to the hospital.

Assistant coach Mike Fitchett added: “Akil was in the changing room and said, ‘Make sure we win the rebound battle’.

“The guys wanted to keep playing – they knew that’s what Akil would have wanted in that situation.

“Obviously it’s very difficult to carry on when you see something like that, but the guys did an admirable job.”

Unfortunately for Mitchell, his mood will not have been helped by learning his Breakers side ended up losing the game 94-81.

After Tweeting that he was "seeing fine," the recovering star  told New Zealand's Radio Sport: “With the palm of my hand I felt my eyeball on the side of my face. I could still see out of the eye.

“I remember thinking oh man... this is kinda bad, but I actually felt it kind of out of place and that's when I kind of freaked out a little bit."

“Once I got in the ambulance they gave me a little pain medicine and some saline drops in my eye and I felt it slide back into place, which is also a really strange feeling.

“It felt so good to be able to blink again.”